XI. Obfervations made by Mr, John Bar- 
tram, at Penfil vania, on the Tellcrwifh Wafp 
of that Country : In a Letter to Mr, Pe- 
ter Collinfon, F, R. S, 
Read Feb. 24. "T" Saw feveral of thefe wafps flying about 
«7 6 3* a heap of Tandy loam: they fettled on 
it, and very nimbly fcratched away the fand with 
their fore feet, to And their nefts, whilft they held 
a large fly under their wings with one of their other 
feet : they crept with it into the hole, that lead to the' 
neft, and ftaid there about three minutes, when they 
came out. With their hind feet, they threw the fand 
fo dexteroufly over the hole, as not to be difcovered : 
then taking flight, foon returned with more flies, 
fettled down, uncovered the hole, and entered in 
with their prey. 
This extraordinary operation raifed my curioflty to 
try to find the entrance, but the fand fell in fo fad, 
that I was prevented, until by repeated eflays I was fo 
lucky as to find one. It was fix inches in the ground, 
and at the farther end lay a large magot, near an inch 
long, thick as afmallgoofe quill, with feveral flies near 
it, and the remains of many more. Thefe flies are 
provided for the magot to feed on, before it changes 
into the nymph date : then it eats no more untill it 
attains to a perfect wafp. 
The order of providence is very remarkable, in 
prefcribing the different ways and means for this 
tribe of infe&s to perpetuate their feveral fpecies, no 
doubt 
